Confessions of a Socially Awkward Christian

When Grace is Disturbing January 8, 2011

Much has been written about grace and I am not one worthy to add to what’s already been written about it in anyway shape or form. I can’t imagine I can add to what people like Brennan Manning, Andy Stanley, or Mike Foster have written about it in their wonderful books. But, a recent conversation I have become involved in on Facebook (gotta love social media) has prompted me to write this blog. I ask a simple question:

What should our response be when grace disturbs us?

No one has a problem when they are offered grace. It is eagerly accepted and appreciated. To a certain extent, to a certain people, we can even happily give grace to others with as much excitement. But, what happens when grace is offered to people who disturb or disgust us? You know the people that I’m referring to. Those who repulse you enough that you would endure a few seconds of Hell if it meant getting to see them burn. Rapists. Murderers. Child molesters. Terrorists. Homosexuals. Abortionists. Muslims. Liberals. Conservatives. Fundamentalists. Lawyers. Politicians. Telemarketers. Whoever.

The conversation I am involved in began with a friend who posted a link to an article about men who were on the run from police for raping disabled women. Evil and disgusting to be sure. Along with the article, he made the comment, “Sadistic absolutely worthless animals like this do not deserve rights. Bullet in the head.” A few people commented and agreed and even added what they would like to be seen done to these men. While I agreed that they need to be brought to justice, I also stated that as Christians, I believe we should pray for them to be set free from the sin and evil that obviously has them in bondage and hope that God saves them. I believe that our attitude toward them should be one of grace and love, and not a desire for death. I argued this because when it comes down to it, we are (or at the best, were) sick, sadistic animals that need to be put down. The Bible is clear on this, just see Isaiah 64:6 or Romans 3:10-12. The only way we are any better is through the grace of God by the sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus died for those men just as much has he died for their victims. He weeps over both. While our heart rightly breaks for the victims, our hearts burn with hate over the perpetrators while they should be breaking over them as well. This is not saying that there is not a place for righteous anger, but it is misplaced. The anger should be targeted at the “powers and principalities” behind them, namely Satan and his demons.

While it is a perfectly natural human response to see those people that repulse us punished in horrible, horrible ways, Christians are not merely natural humans. We are supernatural. And the grace and love we show to people, even people that disgust us, should be in supernatural amounts.

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I agree with many things you have written about. Many a times we misplace our anger and disgust towards these acts, directing them instead towards the people who commit them. It is the wrong we ought to despise, not the wrong-doer.
God still loves them just as much as He loves us. Who are we to say that they deserve nothing better than the worse treatment possible. Everyone is different – with different backgrounds, dispositions, circumstances, culture, etc. A person with who has often been socially excluded for stuttering who tries speaking up and making new friends may be showing just as much courageous as a strong and skilled person going to war. God is the only one who can judge us and I believe He will judge us each accordingly.

What should our response be when grace disturbs us?

When grace disturbs me, I know that there’s still a part of me that thinks that my way of justice is better than God’s way – the gracious way. So I think that when grace disturbs us, it means that our hearts haven’t truly understood God’s heart for all people. It would be time to reflect n understand what God’s grace means. time to unlearn our ways and learn His..

So true… So True… the notion of finding hope only to be hopeless or that there is no hope but for “me” not them is a big problem in believers today. same general princaples can be applied elsewhere.. My mother and her weight saying once “ive had to appoligise to God For my weight” and “be a better witness without”.. sadly hope is easy to forget… and thus goes the Joy of salvation..